--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Chaos is roving through the system and…" description: "\"Chaos is roving through the system and able to undo, at any point, the best laid plans.\" — Terence McKenna" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/terence-mckenna-287_able_chaos-is-roving-through-the-system-and-a_1718553.png" --- # Chaos is roving through the system and able to undo, at… ![“Chaos is roving through the system and able to undo, at any point, the best laid plans.” quote by Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/terence-mckenna-287_able_chaos-is-roving-through-the-system-and-a_1718553.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/terence-mckenna-287_able_chaos-is-roving-through-the-system-and-a_1718553.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/terence-mckenna-287_able_chaos-is-roving-through-the-system-and-a_1718553.png) > “Chaos is roving through the system and able to undo, at any point, the best laid plans.” [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Chaos can disrupt even the best plans at any moment, highlighting the fragility of order. **In simple terms:** Chaos can undo careful plans. Key Takeaway Prepare for unexpected change. Themes uncertainty chaos planning Mood cautious pragmatic Type strategic philosophical When to use this quote - project management - emergency response - investment strategy - software development Key Concepts systems theory resilience Questions to Reflect On - How do you build flexibility into plans? - What role does risk assessment play? A Different Perspective Chaos can be destructive, not just a catalyst. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best laid plans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-laid-plans/) [Chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/) [Laid Plans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laid-plans/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) ## Related quotes > [And that whole do-able/undo-able thing? Yeah. Need I point out that neither Ruth nor I have ever "done" anybody in our lives?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/and-that-whole-do-able-undo-able-thing-yeah-need-i-point-out-that/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [“These what-if equations have kept her life static since adolescence. And if life proves one thing, it’s that the best laid plans don’t necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-alexander/these-what-if-equations-have-kept-her-life-static-since-adolescence/) [Nick Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-alexander/) > [I try not to make plans. Because, even the best laid plans etc. etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-spiner/i-try-not-to-make-plans-because-even-the-best-laid-plans-etc-etc/) [Brent Spiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-spiner/) > [“Back when I was five, I thought my mom was being mean to me, so I decided to run away. Carried my slingshot with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-gray/back-when-i-was-five-i-thought-my-mom-was-being-mean-to-me-so-i/) [Claudia Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-gray/) > [Yeah, but going by that cold tone of voice, she had to wonder whether the best-laid plans of mice and vampires, blah, blah, blah...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/yeah-but-going-by-that-cold-tone-of-voice-she-had-to-wonder-whether/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [I have been careless, and so have been thwarted by luck and chance, those wreckers of all but the best laid plans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-been-careless-and-so-have-been-thwarted-by-luck-and-chance/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gather up your telegrams Your faded pictures, best laid plans Books and postcards, 45's Every sunset in the sky Carry with you maps and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-chapin-carpenter/gather-up-your-telegrams-your-faded-pictures-best-laid-plans-books/) [Mary Chapin Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-chapin-carpenter/) > [The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/the-best-laid-plans-of-mice-and-men-often-go-awry/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [The best laid plans take 40 years to complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/the-best-laid-plans-take-40-years-to-complete/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [“The best=laid plans, one's most fastidious contingency strategies have revealed themselves in the cold light of day to be laughably inadequate, no match for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/the-best-laid-plans-one-s-most-fastidious-contingency-strategies-have/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [“We all have the best laid plans for our children, and they go and ruin it all by growing up any way they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristina-riggle/we-all-have-the-best-laid-plans-for-our-children-and-they-go-and-ruin/) Kristina Riggle > [“They say the best laid plans often go a lie, Because no matter how detailed the preparation, A plan will always have a weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thorne/they-say-the-best-laid-plans-often-go-a-lie-because-no-matter-how/) [Emily Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thorne/) > [“Is it dangerous to plan too much? Yes, we all need to plan, to have a plan, but life goes on regardless of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-w-p-garland/is-it-dangerous-to-plan-too-much-yes-we-all-need-to-plan-to-have-a/) [Leslie W.P. Garland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-w-p-garland/) > [The devil fools with the best laid plans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-young/the-devil-fools-with-the-best-laid-plans/) [Neil Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-young/) > [“I had the same worry that we wouldn't later be able to undo whatever it was we were doing to ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-had-the-same-worry-that-we-wouldn-t-later-be-able-to-undo-whatever/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) ## More by Terence McKenna > [History was an incredibly damaging experience, and now it's over . . . in a sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/history-was-an-incredibly-damaging-experience-and-now-it-s-over-in-a/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The history of man that you don't know is what your unconscious is made out of. 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